About the Random Video Game Generator
The list behind this button holds a hundred and three games that most players will recognise, running from Space Invaders in 1978 up to recent open world releases. Every entry carries two extra pieces of information: the year the game first shipped and the genre it sits in, so a draw of "Hollow Knight (2017, metroidvania)" answers the follow-up question before you ask it.
Year and genre are stored together with the title rather than being rolled separately. That matters, because if the three parts were picked independently you would end up with a 1994 platformer wearing the wrong date and a genre borrowed from a different game. Keeping them glued together means every line you get is factually consistent.
Genres are written in plain words like "turn based strategy" or "survival horror" rather than marketing labels, and the spread is deliberately wide: arcade classics, point and click adventures, city builders, fighting games, roguelikes and battle royales all appear. Ask for one draw when you cannot decide what to load tonight, or ask for ten with repeats switched off to build a backlog challenge list.
The second mode adds a play length between twenty and ninety minutes, which turns the result into a small challenge rather than a suggestion. For picking who plays first try the Random Picker, and if you need a fictional character to role play alongside the game, the Random Superhero Generator is a better fit.
How to use
- Choose whether you want a plain game entry or a game with a session challenge attached.
- Set How many games, using one for a quick decision or ten for a backlog list.
- Keep No repeats ticked so a longer draw never lands on the same title twice.
- Press Generate to reroll, then copy or download the list when you are happy with it.
Common questions
- How many games are in the list?
- A hundred and three, chosen for name recognition across four decades rather than for sales figures.
- Are the release years accurate?
- They record the year each game first came out. Remasters and later ports usually carry a different date, so the year shown is the original release.
- Why is my favourite game missing?
- The list is a curated spread across genres and eras, not a full catalogue. Adding every release would make a draw feel random in a much less useful way.
- Can I use this to pick a game for a stream?
- Yes. Draw five with repeats off, put them to a vote, and use the session challenge mode if you want a time limit attached.